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I feel like my coloring is improving. I think I might have leveled up during that break, even though that doesn’t make sense.

A few of you have noticed that I’m not on TWC anymore. Among other reasons, I was getting tired of their ads, haha. I’m going to experiment with some other networking type things… if you’re on Stumbleupon, you could stumble this comic! Or if you’re angry at me for doing bad things to Phe you can be passive-aggressive and not stumble me XD Whatever. Either way, make sure to check back for the next page, things are getting EVEN BETTER pretty soon.

For you stumblers in the audience

Oh yeah, next update’ll probably not be till next weekend since I have a big test on Saturday that I need to study for during the week. 2x a week updates will resume after that.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I’m not okay.
Not okay.
Phe can’t die.
She’s the reason my boyfriend reads this webcomic, instead of making fun of me like he does for all of the other comics I read.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

WOW. Wow. Okay. I want to know why they’re all staring at him like he’s guilty of something. Why they’re staring at all, for crap’s sake. Is his reaction so unusual?

Real comments: Your coloring looks as gorgeous as ever to me. :’) But I’m nowhere near on your level as it is, so what can I say. I do want to note the positioning of the physician’s hands is absolutely perfect–that’s a tricky position, but, unsurprisingly, you nailed it. <3

Oh Luca… how much more of this can you take? And how much more of this can WE take? :') / :'(

I was wondering if maybe he was looking at the attendant in purple, because she was besides Phe when she started joking in the page before the last. Did she maybe serve her the tainted dish or drink without knowing it? o.o Just a thought!

the last 3 panels look somewhat funny. never really seen that reaction to a loved ones death in a comic. i guess it’s shock? it makes him like….. 4 dimensional as a character to me. XD if that makes any sense at all to you.

Wow. I can’t remember a web comic ever making me gasp like I did when I saw that first panel. She’s still holding on, right? I mean, they cut her throat, she’s able to breathe, she’ll be fine! She’ll be fine…
….she’ll be fine, right? OHGODPLZ

Just wanted to say that first panel is absolutely amazing, from the overall to the tiniest detail. I really liked the phasing of the “sir”s in the third panel (as it’s showing he’s clearly not paying attention to anyone or anything but Phe and gradually coming to awareness of his surroundings) as well as the coloration and figure placement in the fifth panel (Luca’s whole form just seems to say “Oh, right.” as he remembers there are others present).

I’m so torn between feeling completely disturbed by the subject of today’s page, and fawning admiration for how beautifully drawn and coloured it is.
Maybe I’ll just settle for some strange mix of the two.
What I’m feeling here is an emotional cocktail.

Dude, is the blood on her hands from clawing at her throat, or did her skin actually start bleeding from whatever reaction she had? o.O Damn. I’ve had lobster face and skin boils and difficulty breathing and such, but I’ve never had a reaction that bad. Cripes.

As a bit of a side note, I feel sorry for their youngest. Rana and thawed-butt seem like they might handle the ensuing bat-shit-crazy relatively well, but isn’t their little girl like, five or something? Cripes.

I just… Wow, did not expect that.
And because I cry easily, I’m sobbing all over the computer DDD:
That first panel is one of the few panels in a comic that have ever made me catch my breath like that.
Amazing, I cannot wait for the next pages.

“Hey, let’s all stare at the emperor while his wife lies dead of food poisoning/allergic reaction! … From a safe distance.”
If I were Luca, this would be where I fly off the handle from sheer shock/grief.

Also Phe… Just… Phe. >:
That first panel had such an impact when I first saw it, simply because you portrayed so well that this wasn’t a pretty death, and this isn’t a pretty scene [er, in a purely storytelling way. The whole thing is visually gorgeous, as always].
And Luca’s pose in the last panel really got to me, too. The folded feet and slumped shoulders are signs of a man in grief, not a fearless emperor.

“You’re self-destructive to a fault, but you have never once failed when it mattered.”
I imagine Luca’s thinking he just proved her wrong. DDD’:

I love Phe, she’s a great character and undoubtedly a great woman. But she’s too good, given her performance so far she would probably single handedly guarantee peace between the two powers, and then we wouldn’t have a story.

But this brings to a head what would otherwise be settled. I always say that authors pick their openings to be the most interesting moments of history, we could read a story about the peaceful career of some other equally accomplished empress. But instead we follow the chaos that ensues when a great person is lost.

We could read this as a deliberate play on your part to torture us by destroying such a strong and lovable character. I don’t. She was strong because it is without her that we have a collapse of diplomacy. She is lovable because if we did not love her we could not understand Luca’s feelings and response when she dies.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this; the easy thing to do would be to changer your characters’ personalities arbitrarily to keep the plot going like most writers. But you did something extraordinary instead. So I’ll say it again:

Haha, thanks. This scene has been in my head for years, its nice to finally polish it up. It’s been madding for me to draw all of the talking head sorts of pages for the last 30+ weeks! But the more development means more punch at the end.

I have been a bit of a lurker till now, not commenting but enjoying reading your comic…but this was just so powerful, I have to tell you that you are a fantastic storyteller (not to mention an amazing artist!) I nearly started crying at this page. Thank you for your work, I look forward to the next update…

Haha, well hopefully I can get lines done this week and then colors at night Sat/morning Sun for a weekend update? I really really really want to draw the next page but I have to force myself to study instead…

Ooooh my goodness, this page made my stomach drop. Her expression is so horrific which is extra tragic on a character I was really growing to care for, gyeeeeeaugh! Masterful narrative and reveal, I’m totally going to be cringing and hiding when turning pages from now on! Brilliant!!!! :)

this is so powerful; the contrast between how terrible the scene is and the beauty of your artwork is really poignant and breathtaking. i definitely don’t want phe to die, but at the same time i realise she has to… otherwise luca wouldn’t have anything to stop himself from becoming consumed by revenge, and i guess that’s the crux of this section of the plot, at least.

you took the difficult route by (probably) killing a character everyone likes which i guess is our catalyst for change in this comic, and i admire the bravery it took to do that. you’re obviously not just a good artist but also a fantastic storyteller too–this comic is proving to be one of the best i’ve ever read, both published and on the web.

Obviously Luca is terrified at being caught in the act of licking the blood off his dead wive’s hand. I mean, come on man, for starters you just confirmed the rumor about blood drinking cannibalism, secondly you should have more self-control, and thirdly, it’s your wife. Show some compassion.

wow cheap -_-‘ obviously he’s worried about his wife and standing by his side (hehe I know you’re joking with that) or are you? o.0 and yeah why are others just standing there looking at him all weird, it’s his wife ppl he’s worried XD

Wow… just… wow.
Luca’s expressions on this page are just amazing… it honestly chokes me up. This chapter is turning out to be SO much better than the first one… there is so much more going on, and the characters are much more alive [no pun intended… ]. Excellent storytelling, excellent art. Keep doing what you’re doing, this is great.

I really like the coloring on the effects of the poison on Phe, you really did your research! (As expected from a bio major xD) Although the only thing I don’t understand is why the physician is slicing her throat open? Does he think she’s choking, and is trying to preform an emergency tracheotomy? Because I would think the dark fingernails, swollen tongue, and spasms as well as the (eventual??) foaming at the mouth would indicate poison to any self-respecting medical worker, especially one involved in the court where assassinations are expected. > > Unless the poison is tearing her skin open? :o

I love Luca’s expressions throughout this whole page by the way. So heartbreaking! He looks so shocked and just, guh <3.

It was also cruel of you to have Phe and Luca look at each other and share a happy, smiling, sympathetic moment before her poison attack. D:

So, I'm guessing those foreign ambassadors are probably going to get the chop, eh? lol

The Doctor probably identified her as going into anaphylactic shock since we have the skin reaction (a rash or hives) and apparent difficulty breathing (we get this from the coughing). He is performing an emergency tracheotomy, which means he perceives her airway to be blocked, possibly by swelling which is a symptom of anaphylaxis.

It could certainly be poison – especially since poison can be anything! It could, however, be anaphylaxis, so this doctor gets an A for doing what he can to get her breathing.

Yeah, I have severe allergies that cause me to go into anaphylactic shock which is why I asked. I didn’t see the hives but did see the severe discoloration of her fingernails, face discoloration, pupils dilating, swollen tongue, and coughing up of blood.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had your airway blocked personally but I know that if something is inside blocking air to your lungs, you can’t make any noise whatsoever. Coughing would indicate some air is still getting past and therefore she shouldn’t have died that fast and certainly not coughing up blood.

Of course, a panicking doctor could just be trying to get air into her lungs via the most direct way lol. I don’t know how sophisticated this worlds medical system is :P.

I wasn’t aware that the fact that Phe was killed through poison was up for debate. The severity of her attack suggests some kind of toxin and the awful, painful way she died (cardiac arrest maybe?) makes me think it’s an assassination.

My understanding of anaphylaxis is that reactions can vary greatly in terms of severity and onset because of how the immune system can react. I also want to emphasize that our perception of time is hindered greatly by the fact that this is a comic.

I read the blotches on her face as potentially being hives or at the very least a rash. Hives are hard to portray and identify in 2D so I’m not overly concerned with this symptom.

If she were coughing up blood I would expect to see it flecked on her lips and centered on her hand not on the fingertips.

I understand that a person can’t cough with a blocked airway, which is why, on page 32, we see the coughing subside to wheezing right before her face begins to turn blue. But I trust the on site doctor to have a degree more situational awareness than we do. Which is why when his behavior doesn’t match our theory I look for alternatives. Specifically we see signs of circulation with a lack of breathing on page 33 (her hand twitches with no coughing). This is is classic blocked airway and with the other symptoms the doctor

I’m not trying to argue that she hasn’t been poisoned. Simply that the doctor is by no means wrong in assuming anaphylactic shock.

That is exactly what I thought!! (that is if your talking about that one shadowy thing that was in their room) It would definitely tie the naked girl (I currently forget if a name was mentioned… I think I am just a bad fan XD) and Luca together that’s for sure. Perhaps while they were in the bedroom “doin-the-nasty” (sorry could not help myself) That one shadow attacked them in some way. O_O Perhaps, if it was the shadow, Luca was the real target of it’s assault.

Gods, it’s almost 4am and I just happen to peek over and see this page. Now I’m going to go to sleep clutching my teddy bear tight! I prolly won’t be able to check back til like next Tuesday out of fear of having to see poor dead Phe :’-(

Oh, thank god someone mentioned tracheotomies in the comments, it is 3 AM and I would have been up another two hours trying to remember what that was called and what it was for.

…

You know, I really, really, really, appreciate the amount of research and reference that has gone into this comic. Accuracy in a fantasy world is the best thing ever. :D Thank you for taking the time to get it right and/or teach the audience (what a tracheotomy is!) something.

Even though I knew this was coming, the color makes it way more shocking! What gets me is that people are saying “sir?” at the end. Your usually crazy dictator is hugging his dead wife’s hand! DON’T INTERRUPT! Do you all want to die or something? xD

Anyway, you never cease to completely amaze me as an artist and a writer. Phe was a likeable, wholly realistic woman with such a powerful relationship with her family and country but you still had the guts to kill her – I honestly can’t imagine what that’d be like as a writer, to kill such a great character off and do it in such a shocking and brutal way.

Secondly, the ART. There’s a lot of fantasy comics that would draw a Queen lying beautiful and mournful in death, but you managed to captured just how ugly death is, especially when you’ve died from choking. Luca’s face is just hearbreaking to look at; he’s so devastated and you can just see the wires snapping inside his head. The last panel makes him seem like a lost little child who just saw his mother die, not a dictator who lost his wife.

You are, honestly, a huge inspiration to me, and I hope I’ll make a comic this awesome one day. :)

Also in the last panel her face is back to not purple and her neck is arched. Do they think he poisoned her or let her get poisoned?Do they think he thinks they did? Are there Horrible Misunderstandings ahead? Idk. But Phee! You’re alive!(right?)

Love the shock factor of the first panel. I did not expect an emergency tracheotomy.

Also – your use of hands in the closeup panels helps to emphasize the story’s emotional impact. A lot of the time they get neglected or hidden because they’re difficult, but when done right they’re just as expressive as a face.

The perspective on the biggest table in panel 2 looks a bit off. Only reason I noticed is that the edge didn’t run parallel with the carpet pattern.

Boy, I love how horrible and gross you made this death look like, not some poetic, beautiful, peaceful, she´s-in-a-better-place-now form of falling to eternal sleep. This dead body actually looks really dead! *inappropriate happiness*

I am a rare reader who never achieved any emotional connection with Phe (but that´s because I´m a heartless jerk). Phe was eating up great chunks of screentime and glad the kind have a chance to get some of it now she´s out of the game. <— Darwinism of storytelling!

During the school day I am a student teacher at a highschool nearby teaching two classes, observing 2-3 classes every day, and prepping for classes or developing curriculum the rest of the school day. In the evening I’m completing my teaching credential. So yeah, its a full time endeavor for the last school year. Late evenings/ mornings/ weekends is basically the only time I have to work on comics!

That first panel is…rather chilling and disturbing. Well done! I agree with what Fleece said. I like that it’s not a poetic and peaceful looking death. It’s rather gruesome, as I imagine that kind of death would be.

Also, I heard that The Meek was picked up by 4th Dimension! That’s awesome! Congratulations!

Phe was one of the few female characters I actually liked in literature, and pretty much the only one in a webcomic D: I hope another like-able female comes along (don’t get me wrong, Angora and Rana are great characters but their personalities aren’t appealing to me personally).

If she were already past the point of saving I doubt the doctor would go about working on her that way. Doctor’s know their limits. (And of anyone, they are the first ones to hate to admit when they cannot save someone.)

I love Luca in this. I remember how everyone was questioning his love for his wife, and we’re seeing the raw emotions he has for her. I believe that he is a will-full and in control character, but he was completely grounded in Phe.

I question whether or not the kids were sneaking a peek since we already know they are capable of such things. It’d be a terrible thing to see for them, and I am not sure Luca is good at the emotional support thing…

No, on the contrary, of course the doctor will do everything he possibly can, no matter how minuscule the chance is of it actually saving her. He can´t start calculating like “oh, I dunno, it will only have like 0,2 percent chance of reviving her, so I better don´t and just sit and watch.”

Apart from that, just reading the last pages tugged on me bad. D8 I really felt like I was Luca, who only hours ago had just had an argument, made up, snuggled and now with growing dread and horror realized she was dying right in front of him.

One wonders how (the assassination) was achieved. Luca tasted every dish before it was all served, and he didn’t die, so does that mean the intended target was really Phe? D8

okay i swear Luca`s hair is soo leverage Nate Ford hair all the way, I`m like she say leverage ans automatically said “i think Nate`s hair would work!” and yes yes it does, PLEASE DON`T LET PHE DIE!! SHE IS SOO AMAZING HOW IS RANA AND HER BROTHER GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS!?????? LUCA STAY BY YOUR WIFE`S SIDE I BET YOU WISH YOU DIDN`T FIGHT NOW!! =(

I loved her~ so sad. Poor Luca. The way you drew her was very…well it seems strange to call is amazing or good since it is her being dead but it was good and it looked realistic. I would have been the type of person to make it all peaceful looking because I couldn’t do that.

Yeah, I know her eyes are open and mouth is agape in the classic dead pose but I can be a bit optimistic, can’t I? Even though the chance is leaning towards “She’s dead”, I just like to think that there is a very tiny shred of hope.

For what is wrong, you will find out eventually. As for why her throat is being cut, its because she can’t breathe. That there is an emergency procedure that allows air to enter directly through the throat (paramedics do it in real life emergencies)

Just a little thing but I love the fading of the words in the third panel. Also oh gods I can hear Luca’s self-control going ” pwing pwing pwing…” from here LIKE SNAPPING VIOLIN STRINGS IN THE MIDDLE OF A LONELY LONELY DIRGE.

I look forward to epic blowing of you-know-what. Everybody’s gonna die or get punched. Mmhmm

More importantly mussed hair still makes him look hot. sorry ahem… the shallow kicked in again sorry

It looks like an allergic reaction or, you know, poison… too bad they don’t have steroids in this universe (I’m guessing).
And why exactly is there blood in her hands? Was she so desperate to breath tha she pierced her skin with her own nails?

Yeah, I wondered about that, too. I’m trying to figure out if it’s blood or discoloring of some sort in the fingertips… if it’s discoloring, then this is more than just choking on something, I’d think…

If it really is discoloring (or rather, coloring?) of the skin then this is definitely way, way more than just an allergic reaction, and be something more along the lines of ‘insta-kill poison’. I hope Phe survives, otherwise the ambassadors are so not gonna leave the country in one piece /:

From in-depth reading of the comments, we have word from the author – She clawed her skin and bled, but he thinks he may have overdone it on the amount he put on her hands. And the discoloration on her face and hands is the rash that was spreading up her neck when she first started to choke. Also, she is dead. DEAD!

I don’t see why everyone is so worried. Isn’t it obvious that Pinter and Angora are going to rush in in the next panel, and that Pinter’s booze will be the perfect antedote? I mean really, it’s not like Phe could ACTUALLY die.

I’ve been anticipating this since the first time I saw your character grid picture. (I mean this: http://alexds1.deviantart.com/art/Pretentious-character-grid-70723016). It was a couple of years ago actually, but I have a good memory (also, I’m modest).
You are right, I can’t agree more – your colouring here is amazing. You certainly leveled up, congratulations! I can’t express how much I adore your drawing style and admire you for being so very awesome. You, sir, rock.

There’s nothing that ruins a ruler’s buzz from makeup sex like the assassination (perhaps…) of a loved one, and no better cure for the crushing loss of a loved one like a massive Ghengis Kahn-esque rage-induced orgy of death and destruction. You know Lucas is crazy enough to do it. Especially if he loses his better half (because Phe is kinder and admittedly saner from what we’ve seen). This could get bad…. in the best way possible!

On a related note, you’ve definitely leveled up you’re coloring/art though I will admit it doesn’t make sense. Whenever I stop doing art for a while, it seems to take a while before I can get back to a level that I’m comfortable with. But we all rejoice that you’ve suffered no loss in skill. Keep up the good work

I’m not sure if Phe can die if you follow the plot carefully. Luca is talking later with his brother (I think) retelling the events as they happened. He doesn’t seem to be in mourning in the scene with his brother and based on the kind of man that Luca seems to be, I doubt he would be in an emotionally stable enough state to discuss his domestic problems with someone that is as criticizing as his brother. I believe that if Phe dies, it would put Luca in a murder frenzy and have the ambassadors executed on the spot. He would then go into recluse for a while, brooding over Phe’s death and plotting against perceived threats under the influence of a hateful paranoia. Then he would emerge bloodthirsty and (in both meanings) mad, starting with increased domestic suppression on the people and military campaigns abroad.

He would not be talking it over on a bridge.

But I can see why someone would want her dead. Revolutionaries hostile to the Empire and the political regime in Caris; they could be ultra revolutionaries who believe that the negotiations are too liberal. Killing Phe would end any peace talks and force war between the two countries and another opportunity to fight a war.

I pretty much gasped out loud at the sketch of Luca holding a limp body to Dagre, and I’m extremely curious as to if he gives Phe’s body to him, accepting Dagre’s power or just trying to level out peace?
So many possbilities are running through my head.

So, Luca’s kingdom is advanced enough to perform tracheotomies, good to know :)

About posion v. food-testing – it looks like Phe went into anaphylactic shock (had a really severe allergic reaction), based on the hives, swollen throat & mouth, and difficulty breathing (coughing) up until her throat swelled shut.

The blood on her fingers seems to be from Phe clawing at her throat after she couldn’t breathe.

If she’s allergic to anything that Luca isn’t allergic to, then his taste-every-food-test wouldn’t catch it. They would just have to mix it into Phe’s meal (or something Phe was likely to eat – looks kind of like a buffet set-up.)

It would take a few minutes for her to suffocate once her airway shut completely, and it’s hard to tell how long it took a doctor to get to her and open her airway.

Of course, dramatically speaking…the way Luca’s reactions are being shown to us, and especially that AMAZING GORGEOUS last panel is being shown to us, we’re being mentally primed to think she’s dead :)

I think shadow-thing (Dagre?) arranged for the attempt on her life, either way. Before now, remember, the last thing we heard Luca say to Phe is “I’m only doing this because of you.”

So if Dagre wants war with Caris, the author of the comic just telegraphed us an excellent reason why he’d want to kill Phe.

Hi! I’ve just read your entire comic in a few hours and I gotta say it’s amazing! I love every bit of it! especially Phe. Must you do horrible things to her? Man, that is uncool. Kidding, you do whatever you want, O mighty plot comic awesomness master! I will still love this and you.

aaaah! D: Oh my goodness this is so sad! She pretty much completes him, what’s he gonna do without her?? Oh, how very sad :(
This comic gets better and better! Its very nice to read something that has the substance along with the lovely artwork.

This is what I love about your comic, and also what scares me eue;;
When we first start reading, it’s mostly humorous and lighthearted

And then there’s this, where you get slapped in the face with this harsh reality and strong emotions
The art being gorgeous does help the whole thing along of course <3 The pages like this one here that show you're not afraid to raise it to another level.
Never stop dear, I love it.

Noooo, Phe! I feel so bad for Luca!
I love the colors, especially in Luca’s face, and also Phe’s expression. It’s like a mix between despair and fear and sadness, somehow.
Love the contrast between the confident, radiant Luca on the banner at the top of the page, to the terrified, sad Luca on the page.

I think it’s interesting that you included the detail of them trying to perform a tracheotomy on Phe. It seemed a little anachronistic to me until I went and looked it up, and realized it’s a practice that’s been around for much longer than I thought. Learn something new every day!

I’m checking this page everyday in hopes that this didnt happen T_T
Pheeeeeee!!!!!! T_T I’m still crossing my fingers that the miraculous “just easing the readers” will kick in and she’s not really a goner. But something tells me it doesnt work that way around here ;(

I’ve been wanting to ask what level of tech these people
are using? It seems to be 18th or 19th century, but wereally haven’t
seen much of an industry in anything. I hope if Angora goes to this city of roads that
we see more in ‘advance’ tech.

Awesome so far. The storyline is captivating! (though I’d like to see more of Angora – it seems that, though it’s mainly about her, there’s been more of Luca and his family. Maybe it’s the way you’ve built up his background in just one chapter ^.^)

I dunno, but each time I read the comic and get to this page, I wonder what poison was used on Phe…
Loving to learn about poison for giggles, it looks like it could be from something similar to the Manchineel tree… I could be wrong, but the whole tracheotomy thing and the swelling seems to fit somehow…